I liked a lot of what I saw from the Canucks tonight. They won, for one thing. Winning's a good look. The Canucks didn't wear that hat nearly enough in 2015, in my opinion. And 2015 was sorely lacking in come-from-behind wins. This is the first time all season the Canucks have won a game that they trailed going into the third. So yeah, I liked that.
But I liked what I saw from the Ducks more. It gave me perspective. You think the Canucks are frustrating sometimes? Wouldn't it be more frustrating if they were the trendy pick to win the Stanley Cup, but instead of rising to the top like the cream of the crop they're supposed to be, they weren't even good enough to beat the Canucks? I think it would be way worse to be a Ducks fan than a Canucks fan right now, and you know what? That gives me hope. I gained a fresh, new positive outlook for 2016 when I watched this game.
- Kevin Bieksa made his first visit to Rogers Arena tonight. I know he's been here several times before. He played the best years of his life here, and had more than a touching highlight package worth of big moments here. But back then, it was his home. This was his first visit. I want to say that it was strange, but it really wasn't. I had a lot of time to adjust during the two road games the Canucks played against the Ducks, where we did this whole song and dance already both times. But this time there was a video tribute, and it was nice to see Bieksa have his moment with the Vancouver crowd, so I digress.
- Fortunately, the Bieksa story was pre-empted pretty quickly, when teammate Ryan Kesler -- this may surprise you -- suddenly made everything about him. After a scoreless first period, the Ducks got on the board in the second when Kesler, who had been booed every time he touched the puck, jammed home a goal on a powerplay. But he wasn't done there. Kesler then seized the moment, saluting the fans with his arms raised, and drinking in their savoury boos. It's hard to see, but if you look closely, you can spot him licking his lips as he laps up the hatred. Here's footage of that.
- You won't see Kesler's Maximus impression in the Canucks' highlight video up above, by the way. The goal clip cuts off before he can even stand up. So don't you tell me the Canucks aren't thinking of their fans. They edited the video with your feelings in mind.
- It's hard to blame Kesler for deciding to embrace his role as the villain in that moment. Bieksa's getting all this love and he's getting jeered at every touch? I'd be a little indignant about that. You're gonna laud Bieksa for his overtime stanchion goal and give him a standing ovation, then boo the guy who scored the goal that sent the game into overtime, while he was frickin' hurt? Yeah. I'm surprised Kesler didn't pull a Joe Thornton.
- Plus, if you boo an athlete all night, it shouldn't surprise you when he decides to grandstand after a big play. What did surprise me, though, was the clever jab Kesler sent our way via the Ducks' broadcast. "I've scored a lot of goals in this building," Kesler said, "and that one was probably my favourite." That's a good little zinger. Almost too good. Kevin Bieksa might want to check his locker. I think Kesler stole his copy of 1001 Wry Lines.
- The actual most painful part of that goal was watching Matt Bartkowski defend it. (I of course mean not defend.) Bartkowski was in front of the Vancouver net with Kesler when the goal was scored. He probably should have tied Kesler up or something. Instead, Bartkowski taps Kesler on the leg ineffectively, wishes him good luck, then gifts him a copy of Oh the Places You'll Go. Yeah, it was a lot like parents saying goodbye to their kid on the first day of university. But my parents would have defended it better. My mom would have hovered. And my dad would have given Kesler a stiff, awkward hug.
- The Canucks were still down by one when the third period got underway. But wait! All hope is not lost, person who somehow missed the final score in the headline! I neglected to mention that Chris Tanev returned for this game! Tanev's a difference-maker, and he difference-made midway through the third period, beating Frederik Andersen with a long wrist shot that found the top corner of the net. Oh, Chris Tanev. You make everything better. You're like sriracha, but for hockey.
- Full marks (and a primary assist) to Alex Burrows on that goal. Burrows gained the zone with speed, shook off his man to send the puck back to Tanev, then coasted through the shooting lane to complicate Andersen's attempt to track the shot. At least I assume Andersen was somehow bothered Burrows moving through his sightline. Otherwise, he just got beat on a fluttering, unscreened Chris Tanev wrist shot, and that's hilarious, because I'm pretty sure that Tanev doesn't have a cannon so much as he has a small handgun with a silencer, and the silencer is a soft-serve ice cream dispenser.
- Not long after the goal came my favourite moment in this game: when Jannik Hansen drew a late tripping penalty on Kesler with just a skosh of embellishment. I loved everything about it. Hansen was fined for embellishment yesterday. And today, undeterred, he draws that call on Ryan Kesler, the guy for whom this stupid system of fines was set up in the first place? It was the most poetic flop I've ever seen in my life, and I've seen Stephen Feck.
- It also showcased yet another reason (beyond refs who need a little guidance) players will continue to dive: it can win your team a hockey game. The Canucks may not have scored on the ensuing powerplay, but they forced the Ducks to spend the whole two minutes defending, and down a man. Anaheim clobbered Vancouver at even-strength tonight. Five more minutes of even-strength might have been all they needed. This powerplay probably helped get the game to overtime at the very least, and the Ducks are, incredibly, worse than the Canucks in OT. Am I diving if I know that's the end result? I'll let Kanye West answer.
- And then the game went into OT, where what had been a pretty entertaining affair turned into a visual explanation for why the two teams were a combined 1-12 in overtime. It was sad, existential hockey. It felt like a Charlie Brown holiday special. The Ducks had the puck for pretty much the whole five minutes. The Canucks outshot them 2 to 0. The teams were then punished for ruining 3-on-3 with a shootout.
- I enjoyed this shootout, though. Ryan Kesler and Corey Perry didn't score in it, Alex Burrows did... it had all the things I enjoy. Burrows' shootout winner was well-earned, as he drifted out wide, forcing Andersen to change his angle, then found a little room between the pad and the blocker. What was in the little room, you ask? Why, a tiny nightstand, and a tiny lamp, a tiny little circle bed, just big enough for a hockey puck. So Burrows tucked the puck in and we called it a night.
